Lug Nut Brown

This is a 1999 BJCP style 10c beer. This beer was brewed on the 2003 AHA Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day. I was joined by my coworkers Ling Zhou, Terry Jarnholm and Mike Bruening. After giving Ling, Terry and Mike a share, this beer will be used at Ken's and Jill's December 27th wedding.

Recipe: Southern English Brown Ale
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Nov 1, 2003
Transfer to secondary: Nov 8, 2003
Bottling: Nov 22, 2003

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: White Labs WLP002 English Ale (pitchable vial)

7 Bridges Nut Brown Ale mash-extract kit

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
4.4 lbs pale malt extract 1 lb Briess pale 2-row malt 1 lb Briess Munich malt 3/4 lb Briess caramel 60L malt 1/4 lb Briess chocolate malt	1.037 1.037 1.033 1.036 1.030	162.80 37.00 33.00 27.00 7.50
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	267.3 (162.8 + 104.5 (162.8 + 104.5	/ 5 gal = 53.5 >>> 1.054 * 70%) / 6 gal = 39.3 >>> 1.039 * 70%) / 5 gal = 47.2 >>> 1.047

Hops

1/2 oz New Zealand Pacific Gem hops - bittering - 17.1% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.039 = 25.2%	*IBU = 0.5 17.1 * 25.2 * 0.75 / 5 = 32.3**
1/2 oz English Kent Goldings hops - flavor - 6.6% avg alpha Utilization: 20 minutes @ 1.039 = 15.3%	*IBU = 0.5 6.6 * 15.3 * 0.75 / 5 = 7.6**
1/2 oz English Kent Goldings hops - aroma - 6.6% avg alpha Utilization: 5 minutes @ 1.039 = 5%	*IBU = 0.5 6.6 * 5 * 0.75 / 5 = 2.5**
	Total IBU = 42

Other

1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss
20 minutes

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

56 hrs before brew, boiled 2 oz of pale malt extract in 20 oz of water in flask for 10 minutes. Cooled in ice water bath in a bowl. Pitched vial of yeast and fitted stopper and airlock.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 2 gallons of water to 160 f. Added grains in bag and adjusted temperature to 150 f by adding cool water. Mashed for 25 minutes. Iodine test showed conversion complete. Sparged with 1 1/2 gallons of 170 f water by lifting bag slightly out of wort and pouring water onto grain. Transferred to brew pot already containing 3 gallons of 170 f water. Brought to verge of boil, turned off the heat and stirred in the liquid malt extract.

Boil:

Boiled through first break then added bittering hops. Boiled for 40 minutes then added flavoring hops and Irish Moss. Boiled for 5 more minutes then strained whole flavoring hops, placed in bag and added finishing hops in the same bag. Added cooling coil for the last 10 minutes of the 60 minute boil to sterilize. Cooled to ~75 f and siphoned to fermenter taking a reading of 1.044. Aerated by rocking carboy on folded towel and pitched yeast starter. Fitted stopper with airlock and put on fermenting bench.

Fermentation:

Observations of primary (3 PM start):

16 hours: 1/3 inch foam, 1 bubble per second, 70.1 f
40 hours: 2/3 inch foam, 1 bubble per second, 70.1 f
Moved carboy to basement floor to try to obtain optimum temperature for yeast style of 65-68 f
53 hours: 1/8 inch foam, 1/3 bubble per second, 65.1 f
64 hours: 1/8 inch foam, 1/6 bubble per second, 64.9 f
Moved carboy back to bench but turned off light under bench
75 hours: 1/8 inch foam, 1/10 bubble per second, 65.8 f
113 hours: sketchy foam, 1/17 bubble per second, 64.9 f
162 hours: sketchy foam, 1/24 bubble per second, 64.5 f

Transferred to 5 gallon carboy and fitted with stopper and airlock. Turned light under bench back on. Starting temperature 66.5 f
Observations of secondary stage:

186 hours: 1 bubble every 6 minutes, 68.3 f
Switched to lamp without reflector in attempt to lower temperature slightly. Temperature stablilized at 66.7 f

Bottling:

Siphoned a 2 liter bottle 4/5 full, squeezed the air out and forced carbonated. Took FG reading of 1.014 which puts the alcohol content at about 4.0% ABV. Boiled 5 oz of corn sugar in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes and cooled pan with ice bath in bowl. Placed sugar solution in bottling bucket and siphoned from secondary into bottling bucket. Filled and capped 45 12 oz bottles.

See Lug Nut Brown labels here.

Results:

Discernably bitter with nutty after taste when tasted from specific gravity cylinder at bottling time. Took 2 bottles to Dec 18 UKG meeting and noticed that they were over-carbonated. Opened and recapped bottles to relieve some pressure. One emptied itself and another will foam when reopened. Ended up with 20 for the wedding.